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What do Animal Fat, Wood Ash and the “Days of Our lives” Have in Common?

By Alan Knight

Believe it or not, the answer fits in the palm of your hand: Soap!

The history of soap making and usage goes hand-in-slippery-hand with the history of bathing. (See our previous blogs, “History of European Bathing …” “Bathtubs in the Old West,” and “The Birth of the Bathtub.”)

Soaps ― there are many different kinds ― are mainly used as surfactants for washing, bathing, and cleaning, but they’re also used in textile spinning, as antiseptics, for various medicinal purposes (such an antidote for various types of poisoning) and are components of certain types of lubricating greases. Soaps are also used for decorative purposes.

What’s in a Name?

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There are two schools of thought concerning the origin of the word, “soap.” One legend has it that soap was named for the fictional Mount Sapo, which was supposedly near Rome in Italy, where ancient Romans made burnt animal sacrifice offerings to their pantheon of deities. The wood ash and animal grease resulting from such sacrifices formed a primitive kind of soap. However, another school of thought says the word “soap” hails from Europe's ancient Celts, whose animal fat/wood ash soap was called “saipo.”

Soap Through the Centuries

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Aside from making fire and cooking food, blending oil and fat into soap is one of the oldest and simplest chemical reactions known to mankind. An excavation of ancient Babylon revealed that the Babylonians were making soap around 2800 B.C., being the first culture to master the art of soap making. A formula for soap consisting of water, alkali and cassia oil was written on a Babylonian clay tablet around 2200 BC. Typically, their soap was made from animal fats boiled with wood ashes. Initially, soap was used for cleaning wool and cotton that was used in textile manufacturing. Also in the Middle East, the Ebers papyrus (Egypt, 1550 BC) reveals that the ancient Egyptians mixed animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to produce a soap-like substance. According the Pliny the Elder, the Phoenicians used goat's tallow and wood ashes to create soap in 600 BC. In his “Historia Naturalis,” he discusses the manufacturing of soap from animal fat and ashes, but mentions it was only used as a hair pomade. Early Romans were thought to have made some of their soap from urine (!). It was used throughout the Roman Empire as a topical treatment for various skin diseases.

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The purpose of soap as a cleanser appeared in the second century AD. By the 900s AD, soap was common in France, Italy, and Spain. A 12th-century Islamic document describes the process of soap production. It mentions one of soap’s two main ingredients, alkali, derived from the Arabic word al-qaly or “ashes,” which would later become important in modern day chemistry. By the 13th century, the manufacture of soap in the Islamic world had become virtually industrialized.

Soap production began in England around the end of the 12th century. In France, by the second half of the 15th century, the semi-industrialized professional manufacturing of soap was concentrated in a few cities that supplied the rest of the country. Finer soaps were later produced in Europe beginning in the 16th century, using vegetable oils (i.e., olive oil) as opposed to animal fats. Many of these soaps are still produced, both industrially and by small-scale soap artisans. For instance, Castile soap is a popular example of the vegetable-only soaps derived from the oldest “white soap” of Italy and Spain, named for the latter country’s Castile region. However, most European countries rarely used soap as a personal cleanser until the 17th century (which is one of the reasons perfumes and colognes were created, but that’s another story). Soap manufacturers had to pay a heavy tax on all the soap they made, which made it very expensive for most of its populace. So soap didn’t become a widespread commodity until the tax was repealed in 1853. By the 19th century, soap had become more readily available and was becoming popular throughout Europe.

Photo Credit: gregbenzphotography.com

Soap making was a small scale, usually family-owned business until the Industrial Revolution. In 1780, Andrew Pears started making a high-quality, transparent soap. His family-derived soap-making business expanded when his son-in-law, Thomas J. Barrat, opened a soap factory in 1862. James Keir built a soap factory after he’d discovered a method for extracting alkaline products from potash and soda. Nearly 30 years later,

American manufacturer, Benjamin T. Babbitt, introduced marketing innovations that included the sale of bar soap and the mass distribution of his soap samples. William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James, bought a small soap works in in 1886 and founded what is still one of the largest soap businesses, formerly Lever Brothers, now called Unilever.

Industrially manufactured bar soaps first became available in the late 18th century, as advertising campaigns in Europe and the United States promoted the growing awareness of the relationship between cleanliness and health, especially as the understanding of microbiology and disease continued to unfold.

Today, the use of soap has become universal in industrialized nations due to a better understanding of the role of hygiene in reducing the population size and virility of pathogenic microorganisms.

The ABCs of S-o-a-p

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Soap is created by the combination of fats and oils with an alkaline base. From ancient times and even today, soap is derived from a combination of different types of fats:

Animal-based (tallow ― made from beef, sheep and other animals’ fat suet, which is the hard, white fat on the kidneys and loins of animals)

Plant-based (beeswax, canola, cocoa butter, coconut, olive, laurel, palm, peanut, soybean, etc.)

In a process known as saponification, soap is made when a fatty acid comes in contact with an alkali. When fats or oils are combined with a strong alkali, the alkali first splits the fats or oils into fatty acids and glycerin. The glycerin is a useful by-product, which can be left in the soap product as a softening agent, or extracted for other uses.

Photo Credit: churchstreeteats.com

When soap is used for cleaning, it enables various previously insoluble particles (dirt, grease, debris, microorganisms, etc.) to become soluble in water, which can then be rinsed off. For instance, oils and fats are normally insoluble in water, but when a couple of drops of soap are added, the oil/fat is broken down and can be washed away by the water. That’s how you can get things “squeaky clean.”

The type of alkali metal used determines the kind of soap product. Sodium soaps, prepared from sodium hydroxide, are firm, whereas potassium soaps, derived from potassium hydroxide, are softer or often in liquid form.

Soaping it Up

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Walk down any supermarket aisle today and you’ll find numerous different types of soap and soap-derived cleaning products: solid soaps, liquid soaps, body soaps, specialty facial soaps, shampoos, decorative soaps, toothpastes, shaving soap, laundry detergents, dishwashing detergents, rug detergents, boot soaps, and various household cleaning products. And don’t forget all the different kinds of lubricants with soap as their main ingredient (especially as what’s sold in automotive specialty and hardware stores).

A somewhat recent “re-development” is the crafting and sale of handmade soaps by contemporary private soap artisans as well as interested DIYers. Most of these soap recipes usually use all-natural ingredients, and some are entirely vegan, that is, not made of any animal products. Many have delicious-sounding names such as Chocolate Mint, Bit o’ Honey, Oatmeal, Lavendar/Rosemary, Almond Nut and others. A perusal of your local health food store and/or the Internet will bring an entire world of exotic soaps to your bathroom and kitchen.

Photo Credit: insiderye.wordpress.com

A centuries-old chemical process creating what we now call soap has indelibly changed our lives for the better. It’s made us healthier and more aromatic. (Hence, more romantic?) So the next time you’re bathing in a Walk-in tub, Clawfoot tub, or a Safety Suite Shower, and you reach for the soap, think for a minute about its centuries-old history. You may even find yourself washing with more gusto and zest than ever before.

In this article, I briefly described the centuries-old history of soap-making. I also discussed how soap is made, and pointed out its various usages, products and byproducts. If you have a comment, please type it in the Comment section below. Of course, I encourage you to share this article with your family, friends, and colleagues.

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Alan Knight is the owner of Tub King, Inc., and SeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville, Florida. He has many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. His companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” four years running. To contact Tub King directly, call (800)843-4231 or email alan@tubking.com.

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History of European Bathing – What We Learned from the Greeks & Romans

By Kerry Knight

Photo Credit: hellenicaworld.com

Bathing in water has been essential to good health and peace of mind since the beginning of time. Bathing emporiums became fashionable as early as the third century A.D. The Greeks and Romans were instrumental in erecting many ornate and expensive bathhouses where business was conducted, gossip exchanged, and social contact between friends and lovers were enjoyed.

Many of these bathhouses were so spectacular that they had their own lecture halls, art galleries, meditation rooms, and prayer stalls. There were special rooms to the side where “private” business was conducted. Larger bathhouses afforded entertainment and physical fitness centers. It was very common for wounded and tired soldiers to find refuge in these places before returning to the public after battle. Some of the finest healers worked in these houses. Many of the larger houses could accommodate 6,000 or more bathers at one time.

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Although the Greeks and Romans were both fond of bathing, their approach to the concept was a little different. The Romans bathed to keep themselves healthy while the Greeks believed only women should immerse their entire bodies in water. (Maybe the Spartans’ legendary strength was also due to their overpowering body odor?)

The Greeks viewed bathing as something one simply did to cleanse oneself before conducting business, after a day’s work, or before taking part in philosophical discussions, or after a battle.

Regardless, the Greeks built numerous rich, beautifully designed bathhouses for both sexes, but the baths were not quite as splendid as those built by the Romans.

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The Egyptian, Greek, and Roman baths were known as temples of beauty, and many therapies were developed to either heal or beautify those who entered through their doors. The Romans were believed to be the first who used different colored plasters applied directly to the skin for specific ailments. As many as seven healers at one time would take a client into a bath with each healer taking responsibility for a specific area of the body. Each had a field of expertise such as knowledge of herbs, oils, gems, or colors and their services were more sought after than local physicians.

Bathhouses became so popular in Rome that not long after the third century the government learned to transport water by means of the aqueducts. The initial reward was all of Rome was supplied with abundant water for their needs.

Not only the Greeks and Romans, but also many other cultures had a passion for the many pleasures bathhouses offered them. The Turks developed very hot baths, which to this day are still known as Turkish Baths, or steam baths. Their bathhouses were very artistic and expensive with rich hand-woven carpets, tapestries and ornate columns, fashioned with gold, silver, or brass fixtures.

Photo Credit: europeantraveler.net

The success of the bathhouses was short lived as many plagues, epidemics and diseases were quickly spread by water throughout the population of Europe and England. The early aquaducts were made of lead and it was later discovered that this was the source of mass poisoning or toxicity. As well as contracting various diseases from communal bathing, many people suffered a form of poisoning while others became impotent or sterile. The baths soon became suspect and attendance dropped once the connection was made between the bathhouses and the spread of disease. Eventually, mass public bathing facilities were closed.

In the late 16th century, and for the next two centuries, bathing lost its popularity. Churches became increasingly more outspoken about the sins of self-indulgence, with many of their church members spending more time at bathhouses than at church. The priests were particularly disturbed that many illegitimate children were created from dubious encounters outside of marriage, conducted, presumably, in the public bath houses.

Photo Credit: ww.allempires.com

As time passed, various citizens began to protest against the “sins” of the bathers. The new Christian trend was to oppose cleanliness because it was too sensuous and sexual. Dirt was a symbol of one’s spiritual purity and indicated that the focus was outside one’s self, rather than on personal hygiene. Refusing to bathe was proof that one was beyond such things and thus not egotistical or self-absorbed.

It was also believed that filth was a protection against germs due to the numerous plagues that had previously killed a large population of England and Europe. Rather than being put off by the smell, body odor was thought to be magnetic and a turn on. Powders, perfumes, wigs, cosmetics, and layers of clothes hid the grime and body scent. If overwhelmed by a particularly potent smell, a bit of snuff to clear one’s nostrils was all that was needed.

Provisions for bathing were scant because there was not enough simple plumbing to make household consumption available. When the plagues hit England in the early 1800s, so many people became ill or died that an immediate investigation was made as to how to connect the average home with water. It was found that water was not the cause of the problem, but part of the cure. England, having spent a lot of time and money researching the cause and the epidemiology of the plague, eventually became a leader in bathroom innovations.

Once water became plentiful, new healing modalities, which used water, were created to prevent or cure many diseases such as typhoid and fever. Bathing became viewed as being healthy and once again became fashionable.

Worldwide, people have adopted the same general attitudes towards water, using it to clean and to heal. Soaking in tubs, Jacuzzis, spas and saunas has become increasingly popular. Plus, now with water coming in to each and every home, private bathing regularly has become the cultural mainstay.

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Today, the deep porcelain soaking tubs such as the Slipper, Double Slipper, Roll Top, Pedestal and

Dual-ended can be found in many homes.

Seniors (and others) enjoy the proven benefits of the celebrated Walk-in Tub that offers many great features:

Private, independent bathing
Safety and protection against falling
Air- and water-jetted hydrotherapy

Furthermore, our new, European-designed/USA-made Safety Suite Showers provide low threshold ingress and egress, and can be custom-configured to accommodate anyone’s needs.

We’ve come a long way in the evolution of bathing, and the mystery of the healing power of water lives on. Hmm. Come to think of it, that sounds like a great topic for an upcoming blog. Stay tuned!

In this article, I provided a brief overview of the history of bathing, particularly in Europe as it was first enjoyed by the Greeks and Romans. I then discussed European and early Christian attitudes towards bathing in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and afterwards.

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Alan and Kerry Knight are the owners of Tub King, Inc., and SeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville, Florida. Together they have many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. Their companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” four years running. To contact Tub King directly, call (800) 409-3375, (800)843-4231 or email alan@tubking.com.

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